Cartons are commonly used to enclose articles such as conventionally shaped bottles. To securely enclose a group of bottles, the side panels of a carton can be shaped to match the features of a bottle including a tapered neck and a cylindrical base with a relatively larger circular or other shaped cross-section. Accordingly, side panels have been gable-shaped with the lower edge portions of the side panel extending vertically from the bottom panel and the upper edge portions of the side panel extending at an angle from the respective lower edge portion to the top panel so as to follow the taper of the neck of the bottle.
Although, the gable-shaped carton is useful for enclosing a group of bottles, the bottom portion of each bottle is not supported as securely as the tapered portion. Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to provide a carton that is shaped to better stabilize the bottom portion of each bottle.